Motorola Photon 4G vs Samsung Epic 4G Touch

A spec-by-spec comparison of the Motorola Photon 4G and the Samsung Epic 4G Touch, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.

Head to head

Motorola Photon 4GSamsung Epic 4G Touch
Price$14$3,999
Our rating6/107/10
Battery1,700 mAh1,800 mAh
RAM (max)—1 GB
Storage (max)32 GB32 GB
Screen size4.3 in4.52 in
Main camera8 MP8 MP
Weight (lower is lighter)158 g130 g
ReleasedJul 2011Sep 2011
Summary: Samsung Epic 4G Touch is ahead on our rating, battery, screen size, weight (lower is lighter).
★ Which should you buy? Samsung Epic 4G Touch is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs. If budget matters more than the extra capability, Motorola Photon 4G is the cheaper option.

Display

Motorola Photon 4GSamsung Epic 4G Touch
TypeTFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colorsSuper AMOLED Plus
Size4.3 inches4.52 inches
Resolution540 x 960 pixels (qHD)480 x 800 pixels (WVGA), 5:3 ratio (~206 ppi density)
ProtectionCorning Gorilla GlassCorning Gorilla Glass
Features—TouchWiz UI v4.0

Platform

Motorola Photon 4GSamsung Epic 4G Touch
OSAndroid 2.3.5 (Gingerbread), upgradable to 2.3.6Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread, upgradable to Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean
ChipsetNVIDIA Tegra 2 AP20HExynos 4210 Dual
CPUDual-core 1.0 GHz ARM Cortex-A9Dual-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A9
GPUULP GeForceMali-400MP4

Memory

Motorola Photon 4GSamsung Epic 4G Touch
Card slotmicroSDHC, up to 32 GB (dedicated slot)microSDHC (dedicated slot), up to 32GB
Internal16 GB16GB 1GB RAM
RAM1 GB LPDDR2 RAM—

Main Camera

Motorola Photon 4GSamsung Epic 4G Touch
Single8 MP, autofocus, dual-LED flash—
FeaturesDigital zoomLED flash
Video720p@30fps1080p@30fps
Modules—8 MP, f/2.6, 1/3.2", AF

Selfie Camera

Motorola Photon 4GSamsung Epic 4G Touch
SingleVGA (0.3 MP)—
VideoUsed for video chatYes
Modules—2 MP

Battery

Motorola Photon 4GSamsung Epic 4G Touch
TypeRemovable Li-Ion 1700 mAhRemovable Li-Ion 1800 mAh battery
Talk timeUp to 10 hours (CDMA), 9.1 hours (WCDMA), 10.4 hours (GSM)Up to 8 h 45 min
Stand-byUp to 13.1 days (WCDMA), 12.2 days (GSM)Up to 252 h

Body

Motorola Photon 4GSamsung Epic 4G Touch
Dimensions126.9 x 66.9 x 12.2 mm (5.00 x 2.63 x 0.48 in)130 x 70 x 10 mm (5.12 x 2.76 x 0.39 in)
Weight158 g (5.57 oz)130 g (4.59 oz)
BuildFront glass (Corning Gorilla Glass), plastic backTextured matte-finish back
SIMMini-SIMMini-SIM
OtherBuilt-in kickstand—

Comms

Motorola Photon 4GSamsung Epic 4G Touch
WLANWi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, dual-band (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot; WiMax
Bluetooth2.1, A2DP, EDR3.0, A2DP, aptX
PositioningGPS, A-GPSGPS, A-GPS
NFCNoOptional
RadioNo—
USBmicroUSB 2.0microUSB 2.0 (MHL TV-out), OTG
HDMImicroHDMI port—

Launch

Motorola Photon 4GSamsung Epic 4G Touch
AnnouncedQ3 2011August 2011
StatusDiscontinued—
Release DateJuly 31, 2011—
Released—September 2011

Frequently asked questions

Which has the better battery, Motorola Photon 4G or Samsung Epic 4G Touch?

Samsung Epic 4G Touch — 1,700 mAh for the Motorola Photon 4G versus 1,800 mAh for the Samsung Epic 4G Touch.

Which is lighter, Motorola Photon 4G or Samsung Epic 4G Touch?

Samsung Epic 4G Touch — 158 g for the Motorola Photon 4G versus 130 g for the Samsung Epic 4G Touch.

Which is newer, Motorola Photon 4G or Samsung Epic 4G Touch?

Samsung Epic 4G Touch — Jul 2011 for the Motorola Photon 4G versus Sep 2011 for the Samsung Epic 4G Touch.

Is the Motorola Photon 4G or the Samsung Epic 4G Touch rated higher?

We rate the Motorola Photon 4G 6/10 and the Samsung Epic 4G Touch 7/10.

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